Irna Phillips

Irna Phillips. . , Irna Phillips , Script Writer , 1901-1973, The "mother of the soap opera," Irna Phillips single-handedly created a unique form of entertainment that began on radio but reached its biggest audience through television., Phillips's first radio soap, Painted Dreams, made its debut on WGN in 1930. It was the first fully developed daytime melodrama catering to women, and was sponsored by soap manufacturers. Two years later she moved to WMAQ Radio and created the highly successful Today's Children., Phillips's programs depicted the stuff of ordinary life and introduced techniques that would become familiar to generations of soap opera fans. She was the first to use organ music to segue from one scene to another, the first to employ cliff-hanger endings to keep the audiences coming back, and the first to develop white-collar characters, largely doctors, lawyers and other professionals., Phillips created some of the most popular serials in radio and television history, including Woman in White, The Road of Life, The Guiding Light, The Right to Happiness, The Brighter Day, The Edge of Night, As the World Turns, Another World, Days of Our Lives, and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. , Although her shows eventually were produced in New York, she chose to stay in Chicago, living here at 1335 North Astor Street. ,